Psychiatry in Delhi: History and current status

Indian J Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;60(Suppl 2):S218-S223. doi: 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_452_17.

Abstract

Delhi hasn't always enjoyed the status of the India's capital, but it has always played a pivotal role in the history of India as a gateway city. The same way, it received mental health services much later than the rest part of country, but it has witnessed an evolution from colonial era to the birth of state of art modern psychiatry services. Journey started with the landmark inaugural meeting in Delhi University of few visionaries paving the birth of Indian psychiatry society. Subsequently, it witnessed emergence of general hospital psychiatry units & saw their transformation to apex institutes of teaching and research like AIIMS and others. It saw an exemplary worth replicating transformation of hospital for mental diseases into the state of art neuropsychiatry center, IHBAS. Delhi of today represents a microcosm of psychiatry institutes offering entire range of therapeutic, rehabilitative and academic services with equally important share in policy making at national level. This article traces the trends and developments that happened in mental health services in last six decades.

Keywords: AIIMS; Delhi mental health services; IHBAS; mental hospital.

Publication types

  • Review